Tom Neville (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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15. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the status of call 2 of the disruptive technologies fund; her plans for holding an information event on the fund in County Limerick; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27101/19]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The €500 million Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF) was established as part of the National Development Plan (NDP) under Project Ireland 2040.

The DTIF is being delivered through my Department and its enterprise agencies, with a resource allocation of €500 million over the period 2018-2027. It consists of an initial Exchequer allocation of €180 million to 2022.

The Fund is a competitive scheme which is supporting investment in the research, development and deployment of disruptive technologies and applications on a commercial basis. It is aimed at driving collaboration between Ireland’s world-class research base and industry, facilitating enterprises to compete directly for funding in support of the development and adoption of these technologies.

Call 2 of the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund went live on 18th June with an application form document, guidelines for applicants and consortium agreement template made available on the Department's website. Clients of IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and Údarás na Gaeltachta were also informed directly and we have issued the information via Science Foundation Ireland and others to all of the universities, colleges and other bodies that are eligible to apply.

Call 2 will be officially launched in the University of Limerick on the 5th of July. This event will provide details of the Fund for a large audience of representatives from the enterprise and research sectors and participants will also have the opportunity to network with others interested in collaboration.

The event also represents the formal launch of Pillar 1 of Future Jobs Ireland, aimed at embracing innovation and technological change, which is a key feature of the Fund. This will focus on how Ireland can embrace innovation and technological change and help position Ireland as a Global Innovation Leader.